A friend is a suicide survivor? What do I say?

I have a friend that is a suicide survivor. It was four years ago, but she is still hesitant about moving on with her life. She hasn't been on a date since that time, and it has been extremely traumatic for her.

I have a tendency to hear problems, and automatically want to solve that problem.

What do I do with her? I don't want to give advice that will hurt her feelings, but I truly feel that she needs to get on with her life, and that a positive attitude can pull her out of this funk. Do I try to give her advice, or just listen and let her talk?

Answer:
Suicide and attempted suicide are selfish acts. Explain to her if she could look outside of herself and give to others, she wouldn't be so selfish. She needs to concentrate on others, not herself. How are you going to feel if she succeeds next time? Was your time wasted? Was hers? Get her to talk about the people she cares about...how are they going to feel? Get her to talk about anyone who means something to her. Good luck. I'm no pro., but It seems letting her talk when she wants to is right. Just tell her better luck next time. well i would start off by finding out why she tried to end her life and then work on helping her see that those reasons no longer exists and that her life is much more important now, i know it sounds obvious but make sure she knows that there are loads of people that really care about her but you also have to do this without being too forward and without pity.. it can be hard to get that balance but good luck and tell your friend that i used to be really depressed but i got out of it by planning ahead in my life so that i have something to look forward to like a carreer and a nice house! Let her talk and soon enough she will trust you enough to let you know what was apart of the attempt and also you are at the time allowing her to move on. Give her simple advise if asked and don't try to save her. Only she can get past what is haunting her.

Suicide or the one who attempted it, is rough on the person,family, and friends. It takes time to work through it and can take longer depending on the person involved.See if you can get her help in groups like Survivors of Suicide.
These groups have people which have had someone they know which have taken their own life or who have tried.

Stay her friend, and help her through the rough times one at a time, and don't rush. This is one time the cure if it can be said like that, will take a long time.

Good luck and thank you for looking after her. don't give her too much advice, she'll either reject it, or you'll move from her friend to something more, clinical. just take her out to a restaurant you know she'll like & get her to having fun. then go & do something else. try & incorporate other mutual friends, remember, it's not necessary she date, but she needs to at least make more friends.

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